News

The President has appointed Ms Chua Sock Koong, Professor Lily Kong and Mr Richard Rokmat Magnus as members of the Public Service Commission (PSC) with effect from 29 January 2009, for a term of five years in the first instance.

Under the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore, the PSC shall have a Chairman and no less than five but no more than 14 other members.  With the appointment of Ms Chua, Ms Kong and Mr Magnus, the PSC will have 10 members assisting the Chairman, Mr Eddie Teo.

Ms Chua, 51, who holds a Bachelor of Accountancy (First Class Honours) from University of Singapore, is Group Chief Executive Officer of Singapore Telecommunications Limited (SingTel). She joined SingTel in 1989 and has since held many key positions.  Ms Chua is an Executive Director of SingTel and a Board member of Bharti Airtel Limited and JTC Corporation. She is also a member of the Singapore Management University Board of Trustees and the Casino Regulatory Authority.

Prof Kong, 44, Vice-President, University and Global Relations of NUS, and Director of its Asia Research Institute, graduated from the NUS with a Bachelor of Arts (First Class Honours).  She joined NUS as a lecturer in 1991 after completing her postgraduate studies at University College London.  Her research areas include the study of religion, globalization and national identity, cultural policy and cultural economies.  Prof Kong has a large number of authored and edited books to her name, and sits on the editorial boards of numerous international journals.

Mr Magnus, 64, was until recently the Senior District Judge at the Subordinate Courts.  He has an honours and a post graduate law degree from the NUS and has given 40 distinguished years of service in the Legal Service.  He had also been a Director of several Government-linked companies.  For his contributions to the Singapore Judiciary, he was conferred the Public Administration Medal (Gold)(Bar) in 2003.  Mr Magnus is currently the Chairman of the Casino Regulatory Authority; a Board member of the Land Transport Authority and a member of the Bioethics Advisory Committee. He is also Chairman of the Political Films Committee.

Dr Andrew Chew Guan Khuan, 78, who has been Chairman of the Public Service Commission (PSC) since 1998, will retire on 1 August, 2008. Mr Eddie Teo Chan Seng, 61, currently Deputy Chairman, PSC, will be appointed Chairman, PSC on the same date. 

Dr Andrew Chew

Dr Andrew Chew was appointed a member of the PSC in 1997, and became PSC Chairman in August 1998. Over the past 10 years, Dr Chew played a central role in bringing in top talent into the Public Service, and grooming and managing them. In this capacity, Dr Chew has been instrumental in the selection of PSC scholars as well as the appointment and promotion of key public sector leaders over the past decade.

 Under Dr Chew's leadership, the Commission introduced many initiatives to make the public service a more attractive career for talented young Singaporeans. The PSC scholarship programme, the primary means for attracting talent into the Civil Service was strengthened. The Management Associates Programme was introduced in 2002 to groom promising young men and women to be future Public Sector leaders of Singapore. The Civil Service Internship Programme for local undergraduates was expanded in 2006 to also include undergraduates studying in top overseas universities, to give them a taste of working life in the Civil Service. The PSC Mid-Term and Masters Scholarships were launched in 2007. These initiatives have kept the PSC scholarship programme attractive to outstanding students keen on a Civil Service career, and attracted other talented Singaporeans to consider a career in the Civil Service. 

 Prior to his appointment as PSC Chairman, Dr Chew served a 42-year career in the Public Service with great distinction in various positions, including as Head of Civil Service from 1984 to 1994. Dr Chew had also held appointments as Permanent Secretary (Health)/ Director of Medical Services, Permanent Secretary (Finance)(Public Service), Permanent Secretary (Prime Minister's Office). Upon his retirement from the Administrative Service in 1994, he was appointed Chairman of the Central Provident Fund Board until 1998.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, expressing his deep appreciation for Dr Chew's sterling service, said: "Your contributions to Singapore have been singularly outstanding. We have high-quality Singapore Public Service today which is admired across the world, because of the exacting standards placed on identifying, selecting and developing talent. It was my privilege to work closely with you, as the Minister-in-charge of the Civil Service, both when you were Head Civil Service and subsequently as Chairman PSC. You exemplify the best traditions of the Public Service and have done Singapore proud. I wish to thank you personally for the 52 years you have tirelessly put into public service and in particular your work as Chairman of the Public Service Commission over the last 10 years."

For his significant contributions to the Singapore Public Service, Dr Andrew Chew was awarded the Public Administration Medal (Gold) in 1975, the Meritorious Service Medal in 1994 and the Distinguished Service Order in 2002. 

 In addition to serving in the Public Service, Dr Chew holds many key appointments in other capacities. He is the Chairman of the Presidential Elections Committee and Member of the Presidential Council for Minority Rights. He is also Member of the Legal Service Commission, and the Directorship & Consultancy Appointments Council. Concurrently, Dr Chew is Chairman of the Lee Kuan Yew Exchange Fellowship, the Board of Governors of the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, the Lee Kuan Yew Scholarship Fund as well as the Dr Goh Keng Swee Scholarship Fund.

Mr Eddie Teo

 Mr Eddie Teo was appointed a Member and Deputy Chairman of the PSC from 17 March, 2008. Prior to that, he was Singapore's High Commissioner in Australia from February 2006 to March 2008.

 Mr Teo has had extensive experience in public administration, having held senior leadership positions in the Civil Service. He started his career in the Civil Service in the Security and Intelligence Division, Ministry of Defence, in 1970 after graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Oxford University on a President's Scholarship. He obtained a Master of Science in International Relations from the University of London, United Kingdom in 1974.

 Mr Teo rose rapidly in the Intelligence Service to become the Director of the Security and Intelligence Division in 1979, and concurrently held the position of Director, Internal Security Department in the Ministry of Home Affairs from 1982 to 1986. He was appointed Permanent Secretary (Defence) in 1994. In 1998, he was appointed Permanent Secretary (Prime Minister's Office) and concurrently held the post of Permanent Secretary (Defence) until 2000. He retired from the Administrative Service in 2005 after 35 years of distinguished service in the Singapore Civil Service. 

 Mr Teo had also served as Director on various government-linked companies over the years, including those related to the defence industry. He was Chairman of Singapore Technologies Pte Ltd from 1995 to 2000 and ST Kinetics from 2001 to 2004. He was also Chairman of the Health Corporation of Singapore Pte Ltd from 1996 to 1998 and the Civil Service College from 2001 to 2005.

 For his contributions to the Singapore Public Service, Mr Teo was awarded the Public Administration Medal (Gold) in 1983, the Meritorious Service Medal in 1997 and the Distinguished Service Order in 2006.

In response to media queries, Secretary of the Public Service Commission, Ms Goh Soon Poh, stated the following:

All government scholarships, including the Public Service Commission (PSC) and Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star) Scholarships, are awarded strictly on merit, regardless of family background. Opportunities for government scholarships are open to all students with good academic records, strong leadership qualities and a keen interest in public service work.

The PSC has not imposed a limit on the number of PSC scholarships awarded eachyear, and any applicant who meets the high standards set by the PSC for its scholarships will be made an offer. The PSC therefore does not discriminate against one applicant in favour of another on the basis of family background if all other factors are equal. If they are equally deserving and both meet the PSC's high standards, PSC will offer an award to both applicants.

There is a range of public and private sector scholarships available. For those who do not qualify for scholarships and need financial assistance, they can apply to our local universities for various bursaries and loan schemes to students.

No Singapore student who is qualified and deserving will be deprived of a university education because he is not able to afford it.

For the 2008 batch of PSC scholars, 47% live in HDB housing, 27% live in private non-landed property and 26% live in landed property.

Issued by: Public Service Commission
Date: 25 July 08

Three new PSC scholarships for bright students, one at Masters level
- 52 win scholarships to study here and overseas

Top students have more scholarship options as the Public Service Commission introduces three more scholarships 
– one at Masters level and two for undergraduate studies – this year.

The PSC also announces that 52 students have been awarded its prestigious scholarships to study here as
well as overseas. (Please see the Annex). These scholars will receive their awards today at the Istana.

Public Service Commission (PSC) Masters Scholarship

The PSC Masters Scholarships are available to outstanding graduates or those who have up to three years of working experience. Scholars will be sponsored for a Masters programme in an area relevant to the work of the Civil Service.

The Masters Scholarship is introduced to enhance the attractiveness of the Management Associates Programme (MAP). Until now, graduates joining the MAP can only go for a Masters programme after some years of work in the Civil Service. The new Masters Scholarship allows the applicant to pursue further studies immediately after his undergraduate studies.

PSC Masters scholars will not receive salaries while on the Masters course. They will be appointed to the Management Associate Programme in the Civil Service after completing their Masters degree.

The Masters scholarship will be for a duration of 1 year for Masters programmes in English-speaking countries like the US and the UK. The scholarship duration will be for up to 2 years in non-English speaking countries like the PRC, France, Germany and Japan. The bond period for the Masters Scholarships is three years, regardless of country of study.

Overseas Merit Scholarship (Specialist)

The Overseas Merit Scholarship (Specialist) is an enhancement of the OMS which offers study in general courses. The OMS (Specialist) caters to individuals with a passion for public service in a specialised area. Courses of study include architecture, statistics and veterinary science.

OMS (Specialist) scholars will pursue a specialist career track. In terms of career options, they may be deployed to statutory boards, departments or ministries, depending on their course of study. They will help build up expertise in specialised areas for the public sector, for example as an Architect in the Urban Redevelopment Authority, a Statistician in the Department of Statistics, an Economist in the Economist Service, etc.

Singapore Government Scholarship (Open)

The Singapore Government Scholarship (Open) is open to good candidates who are interested in a generalist civil service career.

The SGS (Open) awards allow for flexibility in the course of study. Upon graduation, SGS (Open) scholars will be deployed to a ministry based on the scholar’s interest as well as the needs of the Civil Service.

Male SGS (Open) scholars will fulfill their National Service (NS) obligation before embarking on their studies.

Issued by: Public Service Commission
Date: 21 July 2007
Contact: Andy Ong
Tel: 6332-7175 / 9737-8335
Email: andy_ong@psd.gov.sg

2007 PSC Scholars by Country of Study

2007 PSC Scholars by Course of Study